Just an Illusion
by ff63
Summary: Lightning and Stella were good friends, so when Stella goes missing one day, Lightning goes out by herself to look for her in a forest that is said to be haunted. What's inside? Read to find out! 2nd CHAPTER UP!
1. Illusions

**.:Just an Illusion:.**

**One-shot...or maybe not. I don't know yet. Please tell me if you want me to update this.**

**Read and Review please!!!  
**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters or anything that you recognise. Characters owned by Square Enix.**

* * *

"_Stella! Stella, wait for me!"_

_A young blond girl stopped running and looked at her friend._

"_C'mon slow poke! We have to hurry if we want to see the fireworks! Lightning, hurry up!"_

_Another young girl with strawberry pink hair stopped beside her and frowned._

"_It's no use. Even if Father could drive us, we wouldn't make it."_

"_Light…" Stella paused and turned to the dark forest beside them. They weren't supposed to go in there. No one was. There were many bad rumors about that place. "Hey Light, what if we take a short cut and go into the forest? We'd make it for sure!"_

_Lightning gasped. "You know we aren't supposed to go in there! Don't you remember what Father and Mother told us? Never go in the woods."  
"You scared?" a smirk appeared on the blond girl's face_

"_N-no! I just don't think we should go in there. Isn't that place is suppose to be haunted or something?"_

"_So you __**are**__ scared!" Stella giggled, and Lightning glared at her _

"_Oh well. Race you to the forest!" Stella laughed and ran towards the woods_

"_Hey wait!" Lightning yelled and ran after her_

_Both girls were laughing, Stella still ahead of Lightning, but only by a little._

_She was so close to beating her until… Stella disappeared._

"_Hey what the… Stella? Where did you go?"_

_Lightning looked around. No one was in sight._

"_Stella? Where are you? Stella?"_

Ice blue eyes flew open and Lightning shot upright. Her chest was heaving and she was panting. She calmed herself down and sighed.

It had been three years since her childhood best friend disappeared. No one knew where she went, or what happened. Just…gone. In front of her very eyes. They were sixteen at the time.

"Stella." She whispered the name and closed her eyes.

Something tugged at Lightning's hair. She grumbled and untangled the necklace in her hair. On that necklace was her crystal. Rose-red in colour and pulsing in time with her own heartbeat.

Lightning was a crystal guardian. Stella had been too until she vanished.

Her words echoed in her head.

"_Don't worry Light. I will always be here, even when I'm gone. You see I am like your shadow. I am always with you, always at your side, no matter what my friend."_

Stella often said that to her when they weren't allowed to see each other or they had too much homework and couldn't play. But now that was just a memory.

How she missed her friend…

Groaning, she stepped out of bed and got dressed.

The sun was rising and morning was imminent. Night faded away and the light took over. The sun's light was everywhere, except for the forest. _That_ forest was always dark. Obviously because it was a rainforest and rainforests were always dark.

While putting her gunblade in her holster, she felt something…an aura of some sort. It felt, familiar. She stopped what she was doing and looked out the window. Nothing but a beautiful sunrise. She continued getting ready.

Lightning walked out the door and looked at the forest.

Today was her day off and she had nothing to do.

She could always talk to Vanille, but then again today was a beautiful day to go and have a walk.

Lightning began to walk towards the forest, unaware to what was happening.

It had been an hour since she entered the large, mysterious woods and nothing had been too terrorizing.

The trees swayed beautifully with the wind and Lightning stopped.

Closing her eyes, she felt the cool breeze on her face. It had been ages since she had been here.

Lightning opened her eyes and continued to walk.

"Ooff."

Lightning bumped into something and caught herself before she fell over.

"What the…"

A letterbox came into sight. Past it was a huge, old mansion. That was strange. She didn't know that someone lived here. Most people wouldn't have liked to live here because it was so dark and wet. Many preferred the city. Cocoon and Pulse were popular hotspots.

_But who would want to live here of all places?_

She reached the front door and knocked. No one answered. Curiosity got the better of her and Lightning decided to see what was inside.

Opening it, she stepped inside.

Before her was a grand hall. It was huge, dark and there were two rows of steps on either side of the room. It looked abandoned.

_Could she be here?_

Moving up one of the arched staircases, she saw a large, dark blue door.

For some reason, Lightning felt like someone was inside.

She opened the door and walked inside.

On the ceiling was an impressive chandelier that illuminated the room. In the middle of the room stood a figure with blond hair. She wore a white dress and white high-heels. It was Stella.

Noticing a presence, Stella turned around, smile on face. But when she saw Lightning, she frowned and quickly turned back.

"Stella?" Lightning ran to her.

Stella turned around again, but her expression did not change.

"Stella…" Lightning whispered, "You're alive…"

Still no reply.

Why wouldn't she say something? Was she mad? Did she hate her?

Then a thought struck her. Stella eyes! Her eyes never lied.

Stella's green eyes seemed to say 'I've missed you too.'

"Why haven't you said anything? Stella?"

Stella merely looked at her. Slowly, she closed her eyes.

Didn't she remember her? Was she upset with her?

As she reopened her eyes, Stella looked pained. She glanced at something and mouthed, 'I'm sorry' and vanished in a dark blue light.

Lightning's eyes widened. "Stella!"

Lightning turned her head, and gasped as she saw a man staring at her.

A man, about the same age as her, was looking at her. He was sitting on a throne of some sort and his hand was resting on his cheek. He looked slightly bored.

The man had spiky dark blue hair and his eyes were an amber-yellow colour. His face was pale and he was wearing all black.

The man stood up and stared at her. He looked familiar...

"Who do you think you are?" she demanded, "And what have you done with Stella?"

The man merely continued to stare at her.

Hand on her gunblade, she scowled and glared at the man. "Who the hell are you? Answer now!"

His cold lips parted. "I am Noctis Lucis Caelum."

**

* * *

How was that? **

**Like it? **

**Hate it?**

** Please review and tell me!!!**


	2. Truth

**Hi everyone! **

**Well I decided to update this due to positive feedback, coke and tic-tacs :3**

**Anyways please listen to 'True' on the 'Silent Hill 2 soundtrack' while reading this **

**Since I'm updating, reviews shall be given right? :D  
**

**Thanks for the reviews from: Dawn, Silly, Kev, Fefisgbf13, Yuki and Newbie, Thankies!**

**DISCLAIMER: Final Fantasy is not my property. It belongs to Square Enix. I just wish that I could own some of its characters (mainly Noctis:P)!****  
**

**Random Question: Do you like my butterfly? --- })i({ ---**

**

* * *

**

**.:Chapter 2:.**

Noctis Lucis Caelum.

That was the name of the cold man standing before her.

But where had she heard that name before? It sounded familiar.

She knew that Noctis Lucis Caelum meant 'Light of the Night Sky' in Latin, courtesy of her Latin lessons with Stella.

Speaking (or in her case more or less thinking) of Stella, Lightning had some issue she wanted sorted.

"And where is Stella?" she demanded

Noctis simply walked over to her, bored and slightly curious look set on his pale face.

Lightning shuddered. He seemed like a very cold person. He scared her.

The man's voice rang eerily through the silence.

"This 'Stella' you speak of is merely an illusion." He said, "A figment of my imagination, so I could lure you here."

"Lure me here?" she repeated to herself and frowned

"Why?" Lightning asked and her brows knitted together

Suddenly, there was a flash of bright light and Stella reappeared in front of them.

Stella gazed at Lightning with a troubled expression on face. Noctis frowned at the sight of her.

"Save yourself!" Stella begged her, seemingly in pain

Lightning took a step towards her.

"Save myself? What from?" Lightning asked, confused

"The Prince! He…" Stella stepped back and began to fade way

"But I – wait! Stella!"

Stella continued to fade away.

"You can't leave me! Stella, who is the prince?"

Noctis scowled and raised his hand towards Stella.

Stella looked at Lightning with a terrified and worried expression, "Light! The prince is Noct-"

_SWISH_

A burst of blue magic engulfed Stella. She was gone once more.

Noctis lowered his hand which still had blue wisps of magic on it.

Lightning looked at Noctis in shock. Anger bubbled inside her.

"WHAT DID YOU DO THAT FOR?" she screamed

The man merely walked back to his dark throne and sat on it. He rested his fist on his chin and gazed broodingly at the angered woman before him.

Tears began to swell in Lightning's eyes.

Stella wasn't an illusion! She was alive! And now she was gone. Her best friend was gone for the second time in her life.

"Why? Why did you do this Noct-"Lightning choked on her words

All of a sudden, realization struck her.

Noct?

Noctis.

Lightning scowled, "I should have known. I…"

The thought of Stella alive made images and memories of Stella ferociously assault Lightning.

_Stella and Lightning playing in the park, both girls smiling…_

_Stella and Lightning looking at the glorious sunset on the beach…_

_Stella and Lightning walking to Tenebrae, Stella's home town…_

_Stella and Lightning closing their eyes, feeling the breeze cool their skins…_

_Stella and Lightning gazing at the moon with wonder-filled eyes…_

_Stella and Lightning smiling at each other after they promised to be best friends for life…_

Lightning couldn't stand it anymore.

Whipping out her gunblade, she made sure it was in gun-mode and pointed it at Noctis.

At this Noctis stood up.

"Bring back Stella." Lightning commanded, determination in her eyes

Noctis walked up to Lightning, his expression guarded.

"I'm sorry but I must refuse your request." he replied unemotionally

"Well then _Prince_," she spat, "Can you at least tell me why you brought me here?"

The cold response from Noctis was, "I cannot tell you. Perhaps, when you are ready, I shall inform you, but not today."

She shivered as he placed one of his gloved hands on her bare shoulder.

He gazed into her eyes as if he was searching for her soul. She looked back into his and shivered again.

His eyes looked haunted in a way, which scared her even more.

They continued to stand there in silence. Lightning couldn't keep her ice-blue eyes off of his now amber ones. They were so…enchanting. She couldn't force herself to gaze away. For several minutes the two stared into each other's eyes.

Finally, the dark man's cold lips parted once more.

"Farewell…Lightning."

A blue light surrounded his hand. Her body tingled and there was a flash of bright blue light.

"Hey, how did you kno-"

In an instant, she was back inside her room, lying in her bed.

She was in her pyjamas and it was dawn again.

_Was it all just a dream?_

What if it was real and Stella was still alive? Who was this 'Noctis' and how did he know her name? And what did he want with her? It all seemed too crazy to be true.

While getting dressed, she noticed the rose-shaped mark on her chest, the mark of the crystal guardians, namely l'cies, was glowing more brightly than usual.

She wondered why it was glowing.

She closed her eyes and became lost once more in memories of her childhood friend, Lightning remembered clearly that Stella's l'cie mark was on her arm.

A star was her mark. It was appropriate because Stella, in Latin, meant star.

She wished she was here. She was so close. At least she got to see her again, even if it was in a dream.

Lightning gazed out of her window and looked at the forest.

Was Stella still in there?

Determination and curiosity filled her body and Lightning got up.

Not bothering to lock the door behind her, she walked out of her front door and towards a familiar, large body of trees.

She had questions she wanted answered.

_**-Noctis-**_

He sent her away and he returned to his usual place on his dark throne.

After briefly studying her, the strawberry-blond haired girl known as Lightning looked strong, smart. More than capable of taking care of herself.

Could she the _one_? Perhaps she was. She was, after all, a crystal guardian.

She was young though. About the same age as himself.

_He _wanted her for a reason. _He _was the man Noctis had to deliver her to but why?

Why did _he _want her?

What was Lightning to _him_?

He needed answers, and Noctis knew just where to find them.

_**-Stella-**_

She woke up, head throbbing and pain was felt all over her body.

Where was she?

Blinking a few times to clear her vision, Stella saw she was in a dark room. A dungeon.

Not only that but she had chains on her hands and feet. In a feeble attempt for freedom, she yanked at her chains. It did no good.

Stella groaned as she tried to sit up.

She recalled her last memories before she woke up here.

One moment, she was trying to get her childhood friend Lightning away from that evil Prince Noctis and the next…she was back here.

She moved her hand so she could sit upright.

_Plish._

Her hand was now wet. Just noticing that there was a small pool of water beside her, she looked to see her reflection.

It was the same reflection she had always had.

Except, Stella noticed a bruise on her left cheek.

Stella frowned.

She must have fallen when she was being teleported here again.

Suddenly, the door to her cell opened and a figure walked in.

Stella looked up and frowned.

A man with spiky, dark blue hair was walking towards her.

Stopping when she was at his feet, a rather large sword appeared in his hand and he pointed it at her face.

"Tell me what you know of the girl called Lightning." He said coldly

_**-Lightning-**_

The forest.

This is where it all started.

Where Stella disappeared.

Where her dreams began.

Where she felt Stella's presence.

Lightning walked towards the forest, calm on the outside but nervousness, anxiousness and restlessness was felt on the inside.

* * *

**Should I keep on updateing? Or should I just delete this chapter and keep it a one-shot?  
**

**Please press the little green button that says 'review'...you know you want to! :P  
**


End file.
